New York Jets offense officially unrecognizable with Johnson

Who says the New York Jets didn’t make any notable signings this offseason?

Wednesday’s signing of former Titans running back Chris Johnson completes a flurry of the Jets’ free agency signings that included Eric Decker, Michael Vick and Jacoby Ford. And suddenly, an offense that scored 18.1 points per game (29th in the league) and 318.1 yards per game (25th in the league) has done a full-fledged revamp.

The one strength the Jets’ O could boast about last year was their rushing attack. Theirs was sixth in the league, gaining 134.9 yards per game thanks to Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell. Mike Goodson was supposed to be a part of that rotation too, but between a suspension and an injury, he got seven carries. As I previously speculated, I expect Goodson to be the odd man out now that Johnson is in town. Meanwhile, Johnson complements Ivory’s bruising style, and the consistent Powell will make for a valuable RB3.

Johnson’s contract is for two years and $9 million. It’s safe to say this makes more sense than the $8 million a year he was owed in Tennessee. All reports after Johnson’s release indicated that the Jets were only interested in Johnson “at the right price.” The lack of immediate interest in Johnson lowered his value. There is speculation that Idzik’s slow but steady method of dealing helped that cause.

Adam Schein of nfl.com wrote that Johnson, 28, is no longer elite, that he is no longer “CJ2K” capable of rushing for 2,000 yards in a season again like he did in 2009. No, he’s obviously not in the discussion with Adrian Peterson for best back in the league anymore. But the Jets don’t need him to be the best back in the league, or one of the elite ones. They just need him to share a workload with Ivory and Powell, catch some passes out of the backfield and break a few big plays – his specialty. I love the fit.

The Jets are still in the market for a tight end, and finding one in the draft might be the smarter play. But with Johnson now joining Vick and Decker, this offense compared to 2013’s is already the difference between night and day.

That seven-round mock draft (for lack of a better term) is coming later this week! Stay tuned!

In other news: The Kevin Costner movie Draft Day came out last Friday. The storyline features the Cleveland Browns trying to trade for the Seattle Seahawks’ number one overall pick. Never mind that non-football fans might be a bit bored without lots of on-the-field football action (disclosure: I haven’t seen the movie, I’m seeing it this weekend and I am a football fan), nor the irony that Seattle is picking 32nd in real life thanks to their Super Bowl win. This movie originally had the New York Jets written in Seattle’s role. The idea is that Cleveland wants to trade up to draft a sure-thing future franchise quarterback, whom the Jets by default would pass up. With initial talks happening during the Butt Fumble era, the Jets told the film’s director, Ivan Reitman, that the fictional plot would anger fans. “They were having something of a quarterback dispute, and the team said that this is just going to incite our fans a little more to criticize us, even though it’s all fictional,” Reitman told the Los Angeles Times. Would you have minded, or even liked, seeing the Jets in Draft Day? Tell us in the comment section!

Featured Writer

Born and raised in Southern New Jersey, I follow the NHL and other hockey leagues. I follow the Philadelphia Flyers as well as the St. Louis Blues. I go to American University in Washington DC. I major in International Studies and Russian Language, and I also play Division 3 Club ice hockey. Writing about current NHL topics since 2015.
You can find Jared on Twitter @Wainer78